OBITUARY
Germany’s World Cup-winning Captain And Coach Beckenbauer Dies At 78 –
Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, one of soccer’s greatest players who captained his country to World Cup glory in 1974 and won the tournament again as manager in 1990, has died at the age of 78, his family said in a statement on Monday.
Beckenbauer bestrode the sport as player, coach, pundit and administrator for more than half a century and was widely admired globally, with messages of sympathy pouring in from across the world on Monday.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce that my husband and our father, Franz Beckenbauer, passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday, Sunday, surrounded by his family,” read a statement from his family.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on X: “World Cup winner as player and coach: Franz Beckenbauer was one of the greatest footballers in Germany and for many ‘der Kaiser’ also because of the excitement for German Football he created for generations. We will miss him. My thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Beckenbauer was a classy, dominant presence on the pitch for West Germany and Bayern Munich in the 1960s and 70s, using a calmness on the ball and effortless distribution that marked his midfield performances to virtually invent the central defensive sweeper role, or ‘libero’ where he found most success.
“The world of FC Bayern is no longer what it was – suddenly it is darker, more quiet, poorer,” the club said in a statement.
“The German record champions are grieving the loss of Franz Beckenbauer, the unique ‘Kaiser’ without whom FC Bayern would not have become the club it is today.”
He earned 103 caps for West Germany, winning the 1972 European Championship and then the World Cup on home soil two years’ later, having lost in the final to England in 1966.
In 1970 he famously played for much of the classic World Cup semi-final against Italy with his arm in a sling, having dislocated his shoulder and broken his collar bone.
His Bayern team were the best club side in the world during the mid-1970s, winning three successive European Cups and three straight Bundesliga titles, and Beckenbauer was twice named European footballer of the year.
He then made a controversial move to the United States, joining the “all-star” New York Cosmos team, who he helped to three domestic titles, before returning to Germany and helping Hamburg to the Bundesliga crown.
NATIONAL COACH
Beckenbauer became national team coach in 1984 despite having no previous experience and led West Germany to the 1986 World Cup final where they lost to Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
Four years later, he led a combined Germany team to victory in the final over the Argentines.
Beckenbauer was one of three men to have won the World Cup as a player and then coach and his death comes three days after the first to do it – Brazil’s Mario Zagallo. France’s Didier Deschamps is the other.
“It was a huge honour for me to join them both in 2018 as those who won the World Cup as a player and then as coach,” Deschamps said.
“He (Beckenbauer) exuded a class, a confidence that many sought to be inspired by. Franz Beckenbauer was an extremely respected personality, who embodied the demands of the very highest level.”
Lothar Matthaeus, Beckenbauer’s victorious captain at Italia 90, said: “The shock is deep, even though I knew that Franz wasn’t well. His death is a loss for football and for Germany as a whole.
“He was one of the greatest as a player and coach, but also off the pitch. Franz was an outstanding personality not only in football, and he enjoyed worldwide recognition. Everyone who knew him knows what a great and generous person Franz was.”
Beckenbauer tasted more domestic success as manager and then club president at Bayern before becoming vice president of the German FA, playing a key role in Germany’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Cup.
However, in 2016 he was fined by the ethics committee of world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, for failing to cooperate with an inquiry into corruption over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Another FIFA enquiry into Beckenbauer’s actions regarding the awarding of the 2006 World Cup was dropped without any charges being made due to a statue of limitations issue.
But it is for his incredible achievements on the pitch and in the dugout that Beckenbauer will be remembered.
“Franz Beckenbauer rewrote the history of German football and left a lasting impact on it,” said his former team mate and long-time Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
-Reuters
The Nigeria Football Federation has expressed tremendous shock and deep sadness over the death on Friday of former President of the Nigeria Referees Association, Otunba Tade Azeez.
Otunba Azeez was reported to have given up the ghost at about 2.45 pm on Friday, 25th April 2025, after a brief illness.
A nonplussed General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, could not easily comprehend when first notified of the demise of Otunba Azeez, who was also Vice Chairman of the Lagos State Football Association during the tenure of former NFF 1st Vice President, Barr. Seyi Akinwunmi.
“What? Are you serious? This is shocking; we didn’t even know that he was sick. Another big loss to the Nigerian football fraternity. Only a few days ago, we were mourning the death of former FIFA referee Bosede Momoh. This is devastating.
“There is nothing we can do other than to remember, with fond memories, his great contributions to the development of Nigerian football, which he did with utmost dedication, discipline, diligence and commitment. We pray that God will grant him eternal rest and also grant all those he has left behind, including friends, family, the refereeing community and the football family, the fortitude to bear the loss.”
Kind, friendly, vibrant, dignified and gifted with people, the 63-year-old was an eminent stakeholder in Nigerian football, and continued to contribute immensely to the game even after leaving office as NRA President, by accepting to be chairman of the top-of-the-range off-season football tournament, ValueJet Cup competition.
Azeez was a top referee in his days before retirement, and then became the leader of the Referees’ body, during which he midwifed transformative programmes that have firmly positioned the NRA to meet up with the demands of the technological era.
He was also in the thick of things during the remarkable Seyi Akinwunmi era in the Lagos State Football Association, which positively re-defined football development, improvement and sustainability in the State.
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South African footballer Sinamandla Zondi died on Tuesday after collapsing in the warm-up before a second-tier match, his club Durban City said.
The 22-year-old was taken to the hospital ahead of Durban’s game against Milford FC, and the match was abandoned at halftime when officials were told Zondi had died.
The cause of death was still to be determined.
“It is with deep sadness that we confirm the passing of Sinamandla Zondi, aka Sgora, a loved member of the Durban City family,” the club said in a statement.
“Sinamandla was more than a talented footballer, He was a teammate, a friend, a brother, a son and an inspiration to all who knew him.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with his family, friends, teammates, coaches and everyone affected by this tragic loss. We will continue to support those close to him during this difficult time.”
The defender made his professional debut in September 2021 and had been a regular for his club this season as they sit top of the standings and are on course for promotion to the top flight of South African football.
-Reuters
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The Nigeria Football Federation has condoled with the FCT Referee Council and the entire refereeing fraternity in Nigeria over the death on Monday, 21st April 2025, of a former FIFA Assistant Referee, Bosede Momoh.
Momoh was said to have passed away at the National Hospital, Abuja, after a protracted illness.
General Secretary of NFF, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, expressed “very deep sorrow” over the passing of the former arbiter, describing her as a “gentle but firm and conscientious referee” who endeared herself to all with her amiable manners, dedication to the cause, fairness and utmost discipline.
“Late Bosede Momoh was kind-hearted and of good character, yet firm and diligent in her duties. The NFF and the entire Nigerian football fraternity will miss her, as she was still contributing meaningfully to the game even after her retirement as a FIFA referee. She was a National Physical Fitness instructor and also an assessor with the Nigerian Premier Football League.
“She left a good name, and we pray that the Almighty will grant her eternal rest, and also grant her friends, family and other loved ones, and the refereeing fraternity, the fortitude to bear the big loss.”
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